Android users “proven” to be “just as bad as Apple enthusiasts (if not worse),” and the growing decline of sanity

A recent post by Business Insider has got the smartphone world abuzz after posting the results of one of its surveys. In fact, one of the points the article is pushing is that the majority of Android users responded with “nothing, I hate Apple” as to why they wouldn’t buy an iPhone in the future. This has lead to many article being posted about how arrogant Android fans are starting to become. The typical “stigma” for Apple users is that they are stuck up and believe anything that Apple tells them (with Android users being nerds who still live in their mom’s houses). And while it’s no surprise that in the heated war between Google and Apple people would take a shot at the other one (especially on a survey that may be published). Both sides do that, and I don’t have a problem with that. You’ll always have your rock solid supporters who would take a bullet to save their ship or somehow sink the other one. Apple has them. Android has them. What I do have a problem with is when sites take advantage of peoples’ willingness to just read a headline and not actually look into the article.

In an article I posted earlier, I actually pointed at this survey saying that there was an Apple enthusiast who suddenly was getting very desperate. In fact, it was the most biased survey I’ve ever seen. The site states (correctly) that the majority of the answers to the question “what would make you buy an iPhone over an Android phone” were “Nothing. I hate Apple.” What they don’t tell you is that was the only option to choose if you didn’t want an iPhone. I even took screenshots in that same article to show just poorly this survey was conducted. If you didn’t plan on buying an iPhone, there was no “I prefer Android,” or “I don’t like what the iPhone has to offer over other phones,” or anything even remotely sensible. You essentially had the option of “I want an iPhone because it has a better______” or “Nothing. I hate Apple.” This disturbs me (even more so that major news sites published articles before pulling them hours later). This is a request to you, our brilliant readers, to look at what’s really going on. Don’t just sit back and read headlines. Don’t laugh at everyone who owns an iPhone; believe it or not it’s a quality phone. Apple users: don’t just assume that Android is only for people who like technology. My mother didn’t learn the keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste until last year (yes…she’s THAT bad with technology) and yet she loves the cheap Android phone my dad got her as a present. I’m sick of these flagrant attacks on the other camp. When I search “Android” and “iPhone” in Google News (believe it or not, I look at both worlds of the tech industry), I want to see new phones, rumors, and tech/intelligent comparisons… not “Android users shown to be uglier!” “People who own an iPhone are actually dumber than Android users!” That’s not productive and that’s not interesting. To all you tech sites out there doing just that, give it a rest. You can respond to attacks all you want (in fact, self defense is legal). However, picking fights in the real world is illegal, and makes you look dumb. The former isn’t true with the smartphone wars, but the latter definitely is.

I’m almost growing tired of the “well your phone stinks at _____” …”well yours can’t ______” fights that now predominately plague the discussions of most tech sites. If someone’s attacking your platform, by all means defend it…Just don’t go out of your way to attack the other. Android OS ripped a good deal of its interface off of iOS (*gasp!* He can say that???). Similarly, iOS seems to “invent” something that Android has been doing for months every time there’s a big upgrade (how many of you are waiting for Apple to “magically invent” widgets?). They borrow from each other because they both have good ideas. That’s business. That’s competition. That’s evolution.

Are a lot of Android users tech nerdy geeks? Absolutely. Are a lot Apple users unable to retort with something other than what’s been said by Apple? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean they all are. Is anyone else getting sick of these bashes on sites? Or is it just me?

Now…off to go toilet paper the house of someone whose name rhymes with “Jeve Sobs.”

Andrew Greenfield was born and raised in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. He is currently attending THE Ohio State University where he is majoring in Honors Industrial & Systems Engineering. He was allowed to pick a smartphone for college and has been surgically attached to his Evo ever since. When not playing around with his phone, Andrew enjoys playing frisbee, football, soccer, Super Smash Bros, fixing the technology for the technologically impaired, and making fun of M*chigan fans.

John Manko

I like the Android platform because I can write my own software for my device without having to root or have the app approved by Apple.

Piquedram

great article, so true…

Rob

Great article! I’m currently an iPhone 3GS user and am nearing the end of my contract. Trying to find informative articles so I can make an sensible decision on whether to stick with Apple for the ‘5’ or to go with a new Android-based phone (Samsung Galaxy S2 is looking good!) are hard to find. I wish your outlook here could be enforced across tech sites!

It’s almost as bad as the ‘fanboyism’ between PS3 & xbox 360 users on some sites… Let’s hope it never reaches that low though :)

http://www.SoundTees.com.au Rick

I was an Apple enthusiat, however after owning an iPhone 3GS for 2 years, I have now purchased the Google Nexus S and Galaxy Tab 10.1v. Go Android!

Gab

I disagree, DESTROY APPLE AHAHAHAHA!

I admit apple has good hardware, and no fragmentation, but thats it.

Faux

Absolutely well done. This should. be sent to news sites everywhere

noah

Hey, Andrew. Remember how you said the Thunderbolt was outselling the (Verizon) iPhone?

Very well done. Definitely appreciate the Weird Al references at the end rofl

Jarred

Hey, Noah.
If I recall he explained that a firm was calling around to Verizon stores…He didn’t say that the Thunderbolt was 100% sure outselling the iPhone (he even linked to an article stating that). I fail to see how this has ANY relevance to this article…

JPB

I really like Apple and respect what Jobs has done. I own an iPod Touch and have no plans to get rid of it. If I had the bucks, I’d probably pick up an iPad. I happen to think that in the handheld gaming area and the tablet arena, Apple wins right now.

But my phone is Android, rooted with CM7 and wonderfully customized to my needs. It is my handheld computer. As a handheld computer, Android rocks. Apple not so much.

Would I buy an Apple phone? Sure, I’ll consider it just as soon as it can personalize it as much as I have my CM7 Droid Incredible, give me the widgets I love and have come to depend on, run VLingo inCar, Locale and all its plugins, mobile wifi, and integrate well with GMail, Google calendar, tasks and Google Voice.

Do I like what Apple has done? Would I have bought it if Android weren’t a choice? Maybe. But in the phone arena, there was a choice and for me, Android was and is better. iPhone on Verizon just isn’t better enough to make me change my stripes. Keep trying, Apple. The competition is good for both Android and Apple users.